Dean?
by Riyukitsa
Summary: Dean makes a trip to a small town working a case solo. When he meets Dean Forester, he has mixed emotions. He hadn't wanted to see his brother while he was a demon. But, technically, this boy wasn't Sam... (Dean/Dean pairing. Slow to start)
1. Chapter 1

He had desperately needed a break from Crowley. It wasn't Crowley. It was Dean. His demon side was barely under control. Being around Crowley only made him feel more like losing it. He knew the king of hell would protect him. He had to get away from it. He has no emotional desire to "remain human," but he wanted to be in control of himself if nothing else.

So here he was, driving toward some new case. A small town called Stars Hollow was being plagued by a ghost. Some stranger passing through the bar he'd been frequenting must have left that copy of the Stars Hollow Gazette on accident. The guy looked rough, Dean recalled. He hadn't talked to the man, but overheard enough to know he was on a fishing trip and he had recently been forced to ask his nephew to move out. The guy was a wreck.

There was a time when Dean would have sympathized. As it were, he only moved back to that end of the bar when the man had left and Dean needed reading material while Crowley dealt with a handful of demons outside.

The case seemed to come at a perfect time. No violent deaths, no need to fight. The ghost was terrorizing the small town and so far, an elderly man had been hospitalized due to a heart attack. He could stop this thing before it did any real damage and it would take more brain than brawn, which was what he felt he needed to keep himself balanced. Being around Crowley made him too unstable and being around Sam would've been too dangerous. This was the best option for him.

* * *

Dean pulled up along one of the street parking spaces and smirked. This town was small. Perfect. Small towns were trusting. They didn't ask too many questions. He would have no problem solving his case.

As he closely watched the people of the town, searching for anything suspicious, he noticed a small diner with a yellow sign. "And where there's a diner, there are burgers," he smiled as he quickly climbed out of the impala and walked toward Luke's.

He wasn't surprised to see a barely half full diner on a Saturday afternoon in a town this size. What did surprise him was the man at the register. It was the same one from the bar. He must've gotten back the day before. Was that his nephew in front of the counter, easily 4 inches taller than the man?

No, he'd sent his nephew away, hadn't he? It didn't matter to Dean. He was walking toward the counter to sit down when the tall boy with the long brown hair turned around to leave.

That face, he'd know that face anywhere. Though he looked years younger... Dean barely registered his shock in time to call out, "Sammy?"

The boy stared at Dean then looked around the diner. Then back to the hunter. "Dean," the boy corrected him.

The hunter nodded. "Yeah, I know my name, Sam."

"No, I'm Dean."

Dean looked unamused, "yeah, ok. Real funny, Sammy. Did you follow me here?"

The man behind the counter jumped in, annoyed. "Are you Dean?" He said to the stranger who had just entered the diner.

"Yes," Dean replied.

"Great. Dean meet Dean. And this Dean," he pointed to the younger man, "followed no one here. You know how I know? Because he was bringing me groceries from Dooses market because we ran out of things while I was gone because Caesar," he shouted the cooks name, "didn't think placing an order was important while I was gone for two weeks!"

Caesar appeared in the doorway to the kitchen. "Ok Luke, but in my defense," he started in a calm yet hurried tone, "two weeks is a long time for you to leave me alone. I didn't burn the place down so I think I at least deserve some credit for that."

"Caesar..." Luke said in a warning tone. The cook disappeared and Luke looked to Dean Winchester. "Need a menu?"

The hunter looked to the Stars Hollow Native of his same name and stared as the younger version of his brother walked past him and out the door.

Dean looked to Luke, then continued to the counter to have a seat. "Just a cheeseburger, some onion rings and a slice of pie."

Luke's face showed relief. "I haven't even known you two minutes and you're already my favorite Dean. I don't need any more complicated life crises from my customers." He paused as if something just occurred to him. "Don't tell Lorelai I said that."

Dean nodded. "I don't even know her so your secret is safe with me."

"Good man," Luke said before heading back into the kitchen.

Dean put his head in his hands and sighed. What had just happened? He had wanted to fight with them. To insist that was his brother, or at least some younger version of the Winchester brother. Years of working with delicate situations had taught him when to back down, though. He needed to remain inconspicuous until the case was solved. He had struggled with that recently. This trip was his chance to gain control over his own reactions.

While his mind reeled, replaying any monster they'd ever fought who could create such an authentic illusion, he hadn't even seen Luke bringing the burger until it was sitting in front of him.

"Thanks," he muttered, still lost in thought. He picked up the average looking sandwich, not expecting anything different. Yet when he took a bite, he practically moaned. "Oh God, Luke," the manager turned around from the coffee pot he had been tending to, pulling off an unusual look of concern and annoyance. Dean wasn't sure how he did managed such a look, but it seemed to come naturally. "This. Burger. Is. Amazing." He held up an onion ring. "Marry me?"

To his surprise, the manager actually smiled. "Sorry, you're not exactly my type." He handed Dean a cup of coffee, which Dean hadn't asked for. Maybe it was a local custom? "You have definitely sealed your place as my favorite Dean, though."

"There's more than one Dean?" A high pitched, yet gruff female voice called out from the door as she and another woman entered the diner.

Dean turned toward them and raised his burger as if to say "hello." "Right here, ladies," he smirked. Now was his chance to do some digging on this other Dean. "Apparently your Dean looks identical to my brother."

"Ohhhh," the woman with the dark hair smiled and nudged her blonde friend, "Did you hear that Babette? He has a brother."

"Yeah, I heard," Babette replied, smiling as well now.

The two women sat on either side of Dean at the counter and Dean noticed Luke sigh. "Don't you two have anything better to do than gossip?"

"Nope," the brunette grinned, not looking away from her new friend.

"I'm fine with it," Babette said, also giving the newcomer her full attention.

Dean grinned and looked up to Luke. "I guess we could chat for a little while."

Luke crossed his arms and locked eyes with Dean. "Sorry kid, you're on your own now."

The brunette held out her hand, "you can call me Miss Patty," she insisted. "Miss, as in single." Luke rolled his eyes and walked away.

Dean took her hand and gently kissed it. "Duly noted, Miss." When she giggled, he continued, "so, tell me more about your Dean."


	2. Chapter 2

Dean was relieved to be driving again, having narrowly escaped Babette and Miss Patty. When he asked where the Dragonfly was located, they both insisted he could stay at their houses. Luke had chimed in, asking Babette about a man named Murray and Dean took that opening as his chance to leave.

The Dragonfly Inn was the location the paper had mentioned for the ghost sighting. It was also where he decided he would stay. He would check in, get his key and then head back to town to track down his brother's doppleganger. That evening, he would track the ghost.

* * *

When Dean entered the Dragonfly Inn, the first word he felt appropriate was "cute." Then he saw the gorgeous brunette in the dark purple dress behind the counter and thought "definitely cute."

He wore his jeans, a blue and tan flannel shirt, and his trademark jacket. No reason to play police officer unless a crime had been committed. He knew he looked good in a suit, but hopefully Lorelai had a thing for guys in casual clothes because he needed her cooperation to search her inn. He put on his famous smirk, the one that would certainly get the most information out of this woman, and approached the front desk.

"Welcome to the Dragonfly Inn. I'm Lorelai," the brunette said with a friendly smile.

Before she could ask if he had reservations, he cut her off. "Ahh, so you're off limits."

Lorelai looked confused briefly, before Dean added, "I just had lunch at your boyfriend's diner. You two own the town like the mafia or something?"

"She. Wishes," a thick French accent spoke from the doorway behind the desk. Lorelai huffed.

"If I could get a word in," she started.

"That is all you ever do," the man behind Lorelai complained.

"Thank you, Michel, for gracing us with your presence." She sighed and smiled at him as he approached the counter.

"I do not need your sarcasm today. Sookie is baking pies for the board game activity this evening. She is doing it on purpose, Lorelai," he stopped his foot. "She is trying to break my diet. I will not give in!"

Lorelai turned to Dean with a kind smile and held up a finger, "just one second while I handle this." She then turned to Michel. "You can leave early today. I'll stay for the board games and Luke can come help me. There, temptation gone?"

Michel crossed his arms and looked away. "Fine, but there had better not be a single piece of pie in this place when I come in tomorrow morning!" He stomped out, back through the door he had entered from.

"Ok, but I can't promise that!" She called after him. Her attention returned to Dean. "Sorry, I promise as long as you avoid him, Michel is an absolute pleasure to have around. Now, were you checking in and do you have reservations?" She started clicking on the computer and Dean was still trying to process what had just happened.

"Yeah, uh, no, actually. I don't. Do you not have any open rooms?" He was used to staying in cheap motels that always had vacancies. He hadn't considered calling ahead.

She clicked a few more times then smiled again. "Ok, perfect. Room 10 is open. Name?"

"Lars Ulrich."

"The drummer from Metallica?"

"Hah! Uh," Dean suddenly felt uncomfortable. "You got me. Page, actually."

"As in Jimmy Page?"

Dean smirked, "no. Dean Page, actually. No relation." Lorelai nodded, but Dean could tell she was suspicious now. He hadn't even thought about telling her boyfriend his real name. He had been so shocked to see the Dean who looked like Sam that a false identity didn't even register.

"If you can just give me your phone number and a credit card-"

"Phone number yes, but I'll be paying in cash." Lorelai looked up at Dean, clearly not trusting him now.

"Can I ask why you're here?"

"You can. But will you answer my questions in return?"

"Ok, it's a deal. You first." She crossed her arms and waited for an explanation.

Dean pulled the copy of the Stars Hollow Gazette out of his back pocket and laid it on the counter. He pointed to the front page column citing a ghost at the Dragonfly Inn.

Lorelai took a deep breath then sighed. "Ugh, they'll print anything. So desperate for news."

"So nothing strange or unusual has been happening here?" Dean asked.

"Nope. Just Sookie needing a break to watch Dark Shadows."

"But some old guy had a heart attack."

"Yeah," she seemed disappointed. "Old man Twickum. So close," she said wistfully, looking off into the distance.

Dean thought about her reaction for a moment before deciding this town was definitely hiding something. "Right, so," he jotted his phone number on a post it note from the desk and handed it to her. "Can I have my key now?"

"So you're a ghost hunter?"

"I don't like my friends to know. Hence the fake name. It's just something I do for fun. Ya know. Like a hobby," the lie came so easily, he was wondering why he hadn't used it more often.

She didn't appear convinced, but didn't pry any farther. "Well, I hope you didn't waste a trip. Stars Hollow really is a great place to visit. We'll be having board game night at the inn around 7, after dinner. There's horseback riding here, too. If you go in town, there are a ton of small shops you can visit. Sorry for the exaggerated article. A haunted inn would have definitely added another element to this place."

"No problem," Dean shrugged. "I'm sure I can find something to do in town. Not sure about the board games."

"Well, if it helps change your mind, we'll have pie."

Dean perked up. "Well, if you're offerin'..."

Her genuine friendly smile returned and Dean felt a small twinge of hope that he had passed the test for an upstanding citizen. This town was definitely strange. His only chance at getting out of here without drawing suspicion was to seem as normal as humanly possible. And for a twice dead demon, that would prove to fairly difficult.

* * *

He parked the impala again, this time directly in front of the market Luke had mentioned earlier. He glanced around, appreciated the light foot traffic and walked casually into the store.

"Whoa..." he mouthed, noticing how tiny the store was. This was a convenience store, not a grocery store. How did people live like this?

A cheerful older man with a white beard stood at the register. When the bell had dinged, announcing the hunter's entrance, the man turned and welcomed him to the store.

"Welcome to Doose's Market, friend! Is there anything I can help you find this evening? My name's Taylor. I am the owner of this fine establishment."

"No thanks, just browsing. I'm staying over at the Dragonfly Inn, actually," he would try working his charm on this man before pulling out a badge and asking for Dean. "Just picking up a few snacks for the room. Name's Dean, by the way." He reached a hand out and Taylor gladly accepted it.

"Nice to meet you, Dean. We actually have a Dean here at Doose's. He left a couple hours ago, though. Lives right down the street. See that house," Taylor pointed, "right there? He's lived there with his parents since his divorce. Tried to share an apartment with a friend, but it didn't pan out. Good kid. Kind of an emotional wreck, but he always shows up to work on time." Dean found it odd the way Taylor rambled, but he silently appreciated the openness.

'Small towns,' he thought, 'so trusting.'

"Anyway," Taylor continued, "if you need any help, just let me know."

"Thanks, Taylor," Dean smirked then began a leisurely stroll through the miniature market, enjoying the quaint setting.

After picking up a few items and paying for them, Dean dropped them off in the impala and walked around the town square. The place was calm and quiet. It didn't seem real. He'd been to hell, killed monsters, and had road trips with an angel... yet still, this place didn't seem real.

He was friendly. Overly-friendly, in fact. When he passed Miss Patty's and she waved, then blew him a kiss, he kindly waved back. What had happened to his demon side, he wondered. Why was he so at peace here? Was it the lack of monsters and violence? Did it have something to do with the other Dean...? Part of it was a conscious act, he knew that much. It should've been so much more difficult for him to keep his calm, though.

When he came upon the walkway to Dean Forester's house, he turned and casually walked up to the home. After just two knocks on the door, a woman answered. "May I help you?"

"Yes, I'm looking for Dean."

"Sorry, he's at work. Do you want me to take a message?"

"No, thank you." Dean said with a smile and then walked away as though nothing had happened.

'Bullshit,' he thought as he made his way back to the impala. 'He just got off work a couple hours ago. Where is that little shit?' He would continue his search later. A grumbling sound made him alert to his need for food. Glancing around, he noticed "Al's Pancake World."

"Sure, why the hell not," Dean said under his breath.

He hadn't expected Thai food at the Pancake World, but it was actually edible. Still, he had nothing else to do now and no more leads on Dean's whereabouts. He decided it was time to return to the inn. Maybe that Lorelai would have more info for him during the board game event.

* * *

Upon entering the Dragonfly Inn, Dean noticed Michel standing at the front desk. It was around 5:30pm now. As he approached Michel, the man did not even look up from the computer, but stated, "Do not bother me. I am not here."

"That's too bad, and here I was wanting to ride some horses," he said, sarcastically.

"Ugh! What is your room number?"

"Ten... why?"

Michel scribbled something on a piece of paper and handed it to Dean.

"Go out to the stables. This is the pass for your room. We will be expecting you back in half an hour. I will not be here. I should be leaving right now, but _someone_ needed a horse." When Dean only stared at the clerk, Michel finally looked up at him. "What do you need now?"

"Nothing, I just-"

"Then be gone," Michel said as he went back to typing on the computer.

Dean looked around, unsure of how to respond. Shrugging, he decided to do what he'd done since he arrived in this strange town. He'd simply do as expected. That seemed to have won over the townspeople so far.

As he made his way to the stables, he thought about Dean again. Did he really want to see him? What if this was all a coincidence? What if he really did only look like his brother? If so, shouldn't the mere sight of the boy anger him? He didn't want Sam searching for him. So why was he so desperate to figure this out? He could have just as easily returned to Crowley when he found out there was no ghost. He had no need to stay the night, but he _wanted_ to.

The stables were now in front of him and he searched for Lorelai to take his ticket. Instead, his jaw dropped when Dean came out, leading two horses behind him.

"Dean?" The younger one asked first.

"Yeah," He smirked. This was working out better than he had planned. "Didn't expect to see you here."

Dean Forester blushed, embarrassed. "I have a few different jobs. Trying to get by, ya know?"

"I understand that," the Winchester brother admitted. "So you're getting back from your ride?"

Dean smiled, "nope, I'm your ride, actually."

Dean Winchester's eyes widened. "Come again?"

"I'm in charge of the stable and the horses for the evening. I work here. I literally just told you that." When the other Dean didn't respond, he added, "since you're new, you have to be accompanied on your ride. I'll be joining you, showing you the paths."

"Seems a little Brokeback, doesn't it?"

"Your choice," Dean said, holding the reins.

"What the hell," the hunter shrugged, "I've got nothing better to do."


	3. Chapter 3

They rode in silence at first. Dean was sure he'd scared his brother's younger doppleganger into the uncomfortable quiet. The mark of Cain made his appearance threatening, whether other's realized it or not. Humans seemed to unwittingly acknowledge the danger he posed.

The sun was setting and the view was beautiful so he decided to focus on that instead.

"What brings you to Stars Hollow?" Young Dean interrupted his thoughts.

He shrugged, "was looking for something I can't find and found something I wasn't looking for."

"Is that like a Jedi thing or something?"

"What? No," Dean said, confused. "No, I just mean I don't really know what I'm doing here anymore."

Dean Forester quickly countered, "so you're leaving tomorrow, then?"

"I didn't say that," he wasn't sure why he felt defensive, but he didn't want the boy to think he would be leaving soon.

"How long are you staying?"

"Do you harass everyone you bring out here or just the people you like?" His sarcastic comment had an unexpected effect he noticed, when he glanced over and could barely in the fading light of day make out a blushing Dean Forester.

"I never said... I didn't mean-"

The hunter grinned. "Never said you liked me? I know."

"I don't," he mumbled, "I'm straight."

Dean Winchester only nodded, refusing to erase the grin. When Dean Forester pulled on the reign and his horse bolted forward, Dean Winchester followed suit.

"Is this the part where we race?" He was struggling to keep up.

"Nope!" Young Dean was moving quickly. The inn had come back into view which meant the barn was merely minutes away. The hunter faltered when he realized his time with young Dean was almost over.

"Wait!" He stopped his own horse and saw Dean do that same. "What exactly did you think you were running from?"

Dean didn't turn to face the hunter, but when he spoke, the elder Winchester brother could tell he was still embarrassed, "I didn't mean to give you the impression that I liked you. I know what I need in life. I'm supposed to marry a nice girl, get a good job and have a few kids. It's what's expected of me."

"Oh yeah," the sarcasm was back and it was heavy. His horse trotted slowly toward the other. "How's that workin out for ya? You're happy then? With everything you've done with your life so far?"

"I'm not ashamed of working constantly, if that's what you're getting at," Dean Forester said, obviously irritated. Dean could only smirk as his horse trotted gently up beside the other. This Dean shared Sammy's over-emotional reactions. It was cute.

"Look," he was almost surprised when the younger man did look at him, "I am the last to pass judgment on anyone. I'm a downright demon, given the circumstances. But don't live the life anyone _tells_ you to. You can try to run from it all you want, but eventually your destiny, fate or whatever you want to call it, it'll catch up to you. It caught up to my brother..." he cringed internally, having meant to stay away from that topic. "I guess all I'm saying is make sure you're doing what makes you happy, what feels right."

"Last time I did that, I ended up divorced." They stared at each other in that moment, the hunter feeling pity for younger Dean. He knew what it was to feel like a disappointment. To actually _be_ a disappointment. The tone of his voice gave Dean all he needed to know.

When the Stars Hollow jack-of-all-trades turned and rode back to the stables, Dean followed. No more words were spoken between the two. He muttered a quick "thanks" as he climbed down from his horse, and took off back to the inn.

He needed time to process this. He liked the kid. There was no doubt about that. In what way, though? In a "I miss my brother" way or another way...? He shoved his hands in his jacket pockets as he walked. He didn't like feeling confused.

* * *

When he arrived inside, he noticed they were setting out board games in the parlor. Dean tried his best to hurry past them, but Lorelai saw him and waved him over.

"The pie's ready, Dean!" Lorelai called out.

Dean walked over to her, smiling. "That's great. I might just take a slice back to my room. My mind is kind of-"

"No games, no pie, Dean." Lorelai said in a mock serious tone.

"Please don't test her. I'd like to get out of here at a reasonable time tonight," Luke interjected from Dean's left. Dean hadn't even noticed him setting up a game of Sorry on the square table. The guy was incredibly quiet.

"Fine, but only if Luke plays with me," Dean countered. Luke turned to face him and Dean felt a fear he wasn't familiar with. This man wanted to murder him, more than any demon Dean had ever faced. He tried to ease the tension by explaining his reason. "We both want this to end quickly, am I right? Then we do it fast and eat some pie."

Luke actually smiled then and Dean felt immediate relief. "I knew you were my favorite Dean for a reason."

"Fine, but at least pretend you're enjoying yourself," Lorelai whispered as guests from the inn began joining them.

Dean and Luke quickly took the Sorry table and each laid their jacket on an empty chair at the table so that no one would join them. Lorelai was seating other guests, but when she finished, she rushed to their table to whisper harshly "I need it to look like there are bodies here. Quit being so anti-social and let me fill these chairs!"

"You didn't say anything about me playing with strangers. Dean and I are fine here." Luke wasn't going to budge and Dean was trying not to smile as the two bickered.

The front door opened again and Lorelai turned to see who it was. When she lit up, Dean wasn't paying attention to notice.

"Oh thank goodness! My hero, my savior! Can you come help me take orders?" Lorelai asked the newcomer.

"Yeah, no problem," the cheery voice replied and Dean felt his stomach flip. He had just been speaking with that voice minutes before. He glanced up, waiting for the other Dean to notice him.

"Can you start with these two grumpy old men? I'm going to make my rounds. I'll let you know which tables need served as they come up," she explained. "Thank you so much, Dean. I don't deserve you."

"Heh," he was blushing again, now approaching Luke's table. "Thanks, Lorelai, but you know I love it here. This doesn't bother me at..." he had looked down to see Dean, who was sitting across from Luke and who's back had been to the door, staring up at him "all..." The shock on his face was apparent to Dean, but Lorelai had wandered off to help a table set up Monopoly and Luke was putting the finishing touches on their game board.

"What kinda pie are we having tonight, Dean?" The hunter asked, grinning.

Dean would only look at Luke who was paying him absolutely no mind, "we're serving Cherry, Apple and peach pies tonight."

"Peach pie sounds wonderful," Dean gushed, trying his best to annoy the poor kid. Young Dean still refused to look his way.

"And you, Luke?"

"No pie for me, thanks. I just want this to be done. And the peach is a cobbler. Ok, Dean, start." He said, placing the final piece on the board and leaning back in his chair.

The hunter watched Dean walk away. He would have to just wait patiently until he could get him alone again.

* * *

When Dean returned, the pair playing Sorry had only been setting each other back to start. The game had barely progressed despite both men taking their turns as quickly as possibly.

"This is going to take forever!" Luke said, flustered. The hunter was wondering if he was complaining loud enough for Lorelai to hear intentionally. Maybe her boyfriend was hoping she would excuse him. Dean didn't mind. He would gladly take the free piece of peach cobbler back to his room and watch tv.

She _had_ overheard, of course, but her response was not expected by anyone. As Sam's younger twin placed the slice of peach cobbler in front of his smirking customer, Lorelai approached the table.

"Dean," both men looked at her and she clarified, " _my_ Dean," the hunter looked back at his plate and picked up a fork. "This game will go faster with more players. Fewer players mean they can only attack each other. Rory and I learned that the hard way. And that," she smiled and shook her head as she looked away from the table, "is how we introduced Sookie as a regular to game night," her attention returned to the men in front of her and she patted Dean on the shoulder. When Luke's eyes narrowed as he attempted to process the information, she spelled it out for them all very clearly. "Dean, join Luke... and Dean. You'll all be out of here faster and this table will look much more welcoming."

Luke rolled his eyes, Dean Forester blushed and Dean Winchester refused to look up for fear they would see him grinning. This was too perfect. He didn't even know Lorelai and he adored her for this.

"I really should be getting home," Dean started.

"You would rather go home than be here?" She pouted.

"Actually," he ran his fingers through his hair, "No, I would rather be here. But do I really need to play-"

"I'll keep you on the clock."

"Deal." He picked up Dean's jacket and placed it on the back of the chair before joining the two men at the table. He sat between Luke and the other Dean as the two of them had been sitting across from each other.

Lorelai clapped her hands together and grinned. "Perfect! I'll be back later to check on everyone." She had wandered off again before Dean could look up and ask about getting a drink with his dessert.

"I might die of thirst before she comes back," he muttered.

"I'll get something," Dean Forester offered, but before he could stand up, Luke was already standing.

"No, you get caught up. Do something. End the game. For the love of God, save us." He pointed a finger at young Dean, "you are our only hope now. Water ok?" He looked at Dean Winchester and raised his eyebrows.

Dean only nodded, his mouth full of cobbler. Luke walked toward the kitchen and disappeared. Dean Forester took a turn, moving one of his pieces several spaces forward. The hunter watched him, still attempting to interpret his own feelings about the boy who resembled his brother.

"You're sensitive," he stated aloud.

Dean ignored him.

"You're cute and you're sensitive, but you're physically strong. So you probably had all the ladies in high school?"

"Heh," he laughed bitterly. "Not really. Moved here from Chicago pretty late in the game," he was staring at the board, refusing to meet Dean's eyes as he took another turn. It was technically cheating, but the hunter didn't mind. Luke had told him to 'catch up.' "Lorelai's daughter and my ex wife are the only important ones. Both of which failed miserably."

The admission caught Dean by surprise. "You dated Lorelai's daughter? How can you two tolerate each other if it didn't work out?"

Dean shrugged, "we were just different people. She was going somewhere in her life and I would've just held her back. Lorelai and I have made peace over it." He finally met Dean's gaze and the hunter felt that ping of sympathy again, a feeling he thought had died since the mark had grown stronger. "I'm used to it. I'll always be here, I'll always be stable. The same guy. The one everyone can depend on. That's why I'm the easiest to forget. The guy who always comes through? Who always has your back? He's boring. You want the guy to chase. The guy who ignores you," the bitterness had crept back into his voice. "I'm not rich. I'm not the bad boy. I'm just Dean. And they'll only call me when they need me."

"Wow," Dean Winchester leaned back in his chair. "Can we get some beers anywhere around here? I think we could both use some."

"Why would you need to drink?"

"Oh Dean," the hunter shook his head, "so, so many reasons. But tonight? It's because everything you said just kind of mirrored my own feelings about myself. I was not prepared for that."

Dean Forester huffed, "yeah, ok. You come in here, handsome, witty and obviously well-traveled. I have a hard time believing anyone forgets you."

Dean thought back to all the times he felt like he was the only one holding his family together. Growing up being his brother's father figure. Being grown and being his father's only family when Sam went to school. Chasing Sam every time he had lost his brother. Trying to save everything and everyone and in return, others always assuming because he didn't complain that he, himself, didn't need saving. He was only ever good for a laugh or as needed muscle. Nobody looked at him for more than that. "My line of work, I'm expendable. They've made sure I know that every damn day. Just because I stand out here, that doesn't make me special anywhere else."

Luke joined them again, handing Dean a glass of water. "So are we done?"

Dean Winchester took a quick drink of the water, set the glass on the table, picked up his three pawns and placed them in the home circle. "Yep. Where's the nearest bar?"


End file.
